Former senior CIA officials instrumental in extracting information from al-Qaeda prisoners through what most Americans consider to have been torture have published a book defending their conduct.
The book, titled “Rebuttal,” takes aim at the Senate report released last year that laid bare some gruesome details of the once-secret CIA program.
Published by the US Naval Institute, “Rebuttal” features essays from three former CIA directors and other retired senior officials. They argue that the Senate report significantly distorted reality.
Sen Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat who spearheaded the effort, says the book doesn’t refute the Senate report. Polls show that most Americans believe the CIA used torture, but also that majorities believe it was justified.